Saudi oil tanker still in pirate hands

In 1671, a British Captain captured, sacked, and destroyed the city of Panama. It was an audacious attack that stunned the Spanish and it left the Spanish wondering where would the plunder stop. This story has parallels with today’s plundering by Somali pirates of a Saudi oil tanker. This professor says this is the most audacious attack ever committed by pirates. The Somali pirates did it by approaching the tanker with speedboats and attaching speed hooks with ladders and then boarded the tanker and it was then theirs. It’s remarkable that the tanker could be captured so easily, especially when the British and American navies have increased patrols in the region. But this naval commander says those ships are responsible for a hugely vast space and they’ve told shipping companies to be proactive in self-securing their ships. That might mean armed security on the ships. This analyst says there’s a clear answer in how to solve the pirate issue in Somalia, and that’s to sort out the security issues in Somalia. Somali pirates said they’re driven to piracy because their government is in chaos. Shipping companies can pay as much as hundreds of thousands in ransom to recover their tankers. Saudi officials are calling for better coordination in combating piracy. This NATO spokesman says piracy in this area is a threat for the entire world. Somali pirates are expected to earn some $50 million dollars in ransom this year.